As we arrived in Santorini, I wondered how this island was created. How did this island become this unique and geologically complex crescent shape? So, as a person who needs their questions answered, I investigated this topic, and the results were more than satisfying. From just a few limestone and metamorphic hills to massive caldera-forming eruptions, Santorini definitely had a more complex history than I … Continue reading How it’s Made: The Formation of Santorini

Living on a volcano has both its advantages and disadvantages. On the sheer cliffs of the caldera rim, hundreds of meters above the ocean, one experiences the breath taking views of Santorini and the vastness of the deep blue Mediterranean Sea. The vibrant sunsets, lively culture, and white structured churches and villas built into the edge of the caldera rim are just a few of the treasures that set this island apart from any other. Santorini is one of the most active volcanoes in the Mediterranean region and is responsible for Thera’s striking sheer cliff faces of the caldera rim. However, with all of its beauty there lies an unpredictable hazard that could give way at any time, landslides.

The day was June 06, 2018. My day began atop a landscape overlooking the Aegean Sea. The heat was blistering and the air was humid, but I will not forget what I saw this day. To the front of me is the Aegean Sea, but positioned to my right is the explosive history of Santorini. I examined the wall, taking in each gradational layer piled … Continue reading Cape Plaka: A Trail Through History

Volcanoes are exposed all over the islands of Santorini. Do these volcanoes act the same way or do they all behave differently? What makes them different from each other? What styles of eruption do these volcanoes have? Read more to discover how each volcano is its own piping hot mess! Continue reading “Volcanoes: A Piping Hot Mess”

Today we went on an amazing hike from the base of Peresteria volcano to the city of Οια (ee-Yah) in Santorini, Greece to broaden our knowledge on volcanic formations. We arrived on the outskirts of Οια approximately at 11:03 a.m., which was early enough to experience a light breeze from the north. Personally, I was super tired from hike down to Cape Plaka yesterday. The hike was intense, the sun beat hard, and I got beat up by the ocean pretty bad. Sweat burned in the cuts and scratches on my leg and hand. Additionally, had I known that the hike would be so strenuous would have definitely worked out before flying over to Santorini. Honestly, someone should have warned a big girl like me. Despite all the stress of hiking the class came across some interesting formations along the way. Keep Reading!

I am currently studying geology on the island of Santorini. One of the concepts that is really important in doing that is how the islands in the Cyclades form. For most of the islands, plate tectonics hold the answer.

The island of Santorini has an extensive history of volatile seismic and volcanic activity. Aside from the four caldera eruptions that have decimated the entire island over the past 200 thousand years, Santorini seems to be a hot spot for smaller eruptions and large earthquakes. Despite this reputation, civilizations have been settling the land since the third millennium BCE (before common era), ignoring the obvious hazards that would later plague each of them. What do these messy histories entail and what did these peoples of the past see in this dangerous land to warrant them staying for generations?

I never traveled outside of the United States before. Therefore, I was never thrown into another culture. When we arrived in Santorini, I remember asking myself why the buildings looked so different. I found out that those buildings were just in the process of being built! It intrigued me to find out more about the buildings here. Where I am from, you often see complex structures made of wood, then insulation and dry wall. Before you know it, the homes are built! Continue reading “Earthquakes and Buildings: A Rocky Relationship”

The Peresteria composite cone once stood high on the horizon of the Aegean. It was a prominent feature on the landscape and graced the stratosphere with its peak. Peresteria was the first subaerial volcanic feature to appear in the northern part of Thera on a major fault system known as the Colombo Line. Since its construction, it has been blown up by four caldera forming eruptions, and covered by numerous lava flows. In its exposed interior, Peresteria shows the geologic history of the island and holds the key to Santorini’s complex past.Continue reading “The Complex History of Santorini’s Early Caldera Complex”